⁕ It is tempting to put the issue of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to one side now the 16 May deadline has passed in England.
However, given the number of BPS headlines generated over the past three months, it seems sensible to reflect on the successes and failures of the 2016 scheme year in a bid to give some constructive feedback to the Rural Payment Agency (RPA).
It is difficult to discuss BPS without acknowledging the effects of payment delays relating to 2015 claims, which have caused widespread cashflow problems and distress.
Many farmers have also suffered from what look to be serious underpayments, which still need to be resolved.
But against a backdrop of frustration over why problems have arisen, we acknowledge that there were some improvements to the application process this year.
The transfer of entitlements and land was a much simpler process than before and considerably better than with the previous paper-based system.
Indeed, overall the online system was functional, the greening checker helpful and claims were easy to amend and resubmit if this proved necessary.
This meant for claims that were fairly straightforward, and where everything had been processed correctly from 2015, this year was a relatively easy one.
On the downside, it felt like a backwards step that maps could only be printed out at an individual parcel level. It was frustrating that some land and entitlements had dropped off the system, some land was incorrectly identified and some mapping changes were being carried out even as the forms were being filled in (a hangover from the backlog of 2015 RLE1 forms). The mapping and coding of permanent ineligible features (PIFs) also seemed unnecessarily complicated.
The biggest challenge was those instances where the RPA had introduced errors, for a variety of reasons, which did take a long time to untangle and correct. This is despite the benefit, as agents, of access to a dedicated team at the RPA and the experience filling out multiple claims brings.
If the RPA is to meet its target of paying 90% of farmers in December 2016, it is clear they will need to ensure all discrepancies in land parcels, entitlements and eligible areas are ironed out over the summer period.
The deadline may have passed for farmers, but it looks as if the hard work is just beginning for the RPA.
George Chichester National partner, Strutt & Parker